In a standout performance marking the zenith of his World Rally Championship (WRC) journey thus far, Adrien Fourmaux clinched a remarkable third place, finishing a mere 47.9 seconds adrift of the eventual Rally Sweden champion, Esapekka Lappi of Hyundai.
The M-Sport Ford driver adeptly navigated through treacherous conditions, which proved to be formidable challenges for reigning champions Kalle Rovanpera and Ott Tanak.
Fourmaux concluded Saturday’s leg in second position, trailing Lappi but leading Toyota’s Elfyn Evans, thereby accruing 15 valuable points under the revamped scoring system.
His Saturday surge to second place included setting the fastest time on stage 11, marking his fourth career stage win. However, a minor setback occurred on stage 15 when he encountered a snowbank.
Despite opting not to engage in a tussle with Evans, Fourmaux gracefully accepted third place at the finish line.
This notable achievement propels him to third position in the championship standings with 29 points, a considerable improvement from his challenging debut Rally1 campaign in 2022, where he amassed only 13 points across two rounds.
Fourmaux’s return to M-Sport’s Rally1 lineup for the current season follows his stint in the Rally2 program last year.
Reflecting on his triumph, Fourmaux expressed his elation, stating, “It is really great. It is only my fourth rally on snow so you can imagine I can be really proud of it. It is my first ever podium at the top level in the second rally of my Rally1 comeback so I am really pleased about it. We are third in the championship, it is crazy.”
He added, “There is still a long way to go but for sure I am really pleased as we had many conditions with the snow, and sometimes we didn’t have a good road position, and to get to the podium after all that is fantastic.”
While initially targeting a fifth-place finish, Fourmaux’s ascent to second place on Saturday, culminating in a third-place finish, exceeded his expectations.
He emphasized the importance of perseverance, stating, “It shows that if you never give up you can maybe get it [a podium] one day. If you believe in a dream, you just have to follow it and ignore people saying you cannot achieve it.”
Despite his milestone achievement, Fourmaux remains grounded and focused on future endeavors, asserting, “I’m quite a calm person normally so I don’t want to feel like everything is okay and we are now going to get many podiums. It is one in the pocket, but I need to build up for the next rallies.”
